Three Hooligans and a Girl
by Hollystorm772
Summary: When the Hooligans set out to ambush the Chaotix at their house, they come across a young girl and decide to kidnap her instead. Now the Chaotix must find a way to save Rose while the Hooligans must keep her happy. What could possibly go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

**Three Hooligans and a Girl**

**Part 1**

The wind whipped at the Nack's face; his eyes narrowed against the cold. He gave a sharp tug making the yellow and blue hover-bike fly around a corner. The duck sitting behind him squealed in excitement.

"Ambush! Ambush! Ambush!" He sang happily and Nack scowled, and Bark, a large yellow polar bear, sighed.

"Bean," He snapped through his thick Australian accent, "Will you stop it with the stupid chanting?"

The small green duck crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue, but he stayed silent. Nack rolled his eyes. Honestly, Bean could be such a child. Not that Nack blamed him for being excited… Oh, the purple weasel couldn't wait to see the look on the Chaotix's face when they realized what was happening. Especially Vector. The crocodile would pay for all the humiliation Nack had continually received. He skidded to a stop in front of the small, broken-down structure the Chaotix called home. He smirked as he turned to address the other two,

"We should have about an hour or so before the Moronix figure out that the 'case' they got downtown was a fake. So, we have time to do some vandalizin' before we have to hide for the ambush. Any questions?" He sighed, "…Yes, what is it Bean?"

"I thought you said no one was going to be home?"

"That _is_ what I said."

"Then who's that?"

Nack whirled around to see a young girl, no more than six by his reckoning, standing in the Chaotix's yard watching them with a curious look on her face. Her short brown hair was combed straight, and a strange dark green headband was keeping it out of her face. The chocolate brown dress was a perfect match to her hair and a large white ribbon was tied around her waist. Nack could only stare, mouth agape, for several seconds. He was sure this was the Chaotix's house. But they didn't have a kid… right? So, who's-

"Bean get back here!" He barked. Bean looked up from where he was talking to the girl, but he didn't move. Instead he grinned and called out,

"She said she's Chompy McGreenback's kid!"

Nack was trying to figure out how Vector, a crocodile, could end up with a little human girl. Probably adoption, although, who in their right minds would let any child live with the Chaotix? They had that name for a reason. But if she _was_ their kid… A wicked smile spread across his face, and he strolled over to the young girl.

"And what's your name, Missy?

"Rose," She replied in a small voice.

"Well now, ain't that a nice name."

Rose smiled shyly at this and Nack felt a surge of both triumph, and relief. He was usually no good with kids.

"So," He began, "Old Vector's your pappy?"

"Espio and Charmy too," She said quickly, and then after a moment of thought, "More Espio then Charmy tho'."

"Good, good," Nack said, trying to act as though he cared, "Well, I'm Nack, and me an' my friends here were asked to… watch you for a bit."

Rose's brown eyes went wide and she looked from Nack to Bean and back again.

"So, Vector can go to the case downtown?" She asked, uncertainly. Nack nodded and she grinned.

"I'll go tell him you're here," She said and was about to dash off. Nack grabbed her by the arm.

"Uh, no need," He said hastily, "We're just gonna leave him a note. Now go get on the bike."

"Why? Are we going somewhere?"

"Yeah!" Bean exclaimed, "Are we going somewhere? Is it a carnival? Or a water park? OH! Or a water park carnival! That would be-"

"Shut up, Bean. We're going to our… house."

"Cool!"

"We have a house?" Bean said, looking shocked, "Can I see it?"

"It is cool. And Bean for the last time, Shut up!"

Rose frowned.

"That's not very nice." She said, looking stern.

Nack barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. This girl was as self-righteous as the detectives raising her. He grudgingly apologized to Bean, who promptly dove behind some rhododendrons where he began crying with mirth at Nack's fire-hydrant red face. It took all the bounty hunter's willpower not to strangle him. Turning back to the source of his embarrassment, he forced a smile on his face and said through gritted teeth,

"Let's get going now, okay?"

"Wait a minute," Rose said, and she hurried over to a doll that was laying on the ground a few feet away. She picked it up and carefully brought him to Nack.

"This is David," She told him, a serious look on her face, "He goes everywhere with me."

"Fine, whatever," Nack snapped, his patience waning, "Bean! Pull yourself together and bring her to my bike!"

Bean, still giggling, led Rose toward the hover-bike while Nack quickly scribbled a note to the Chaotix. He slipped it through the mail slot and then scurried back to the others. Bark was looking thoroughly bewildered at sudden arrival of a strange girl, but he nodded when Nack mouthed _Later_. They zoomed off and Nack listened as Bean began talking animatedly with Rose. Unlike Nack, Bean was very good with children, especially little ones. Probably because he actually liked them.

"So, how old are you Rosie?"

"I'm five," Rose told him proudly, and Bean grinned.

"Awesome! We should get along great then! Nick Nack here's always saying I'm about as good as a five-year-old."

Rose giggled at this and when they arrived at their destination she and Bean may as well have been friends for years.

"Welp, here she is," Nack announced as they climbed off the bike and stared up at the small one-floor shack that seemed to be in worse shape than the Chaotix's house. Quite a few shingles were missing from a small corner in the roof, several windows were broken, and most of the wood that made up the walls was rotting. Rose didn't seem to mind however and happily skipped towards the door closely pursued by Bean, who seemed just as excited as the young girl. While they fought to get the rusted door open, Nack filled Bark in on the new plan. The brawler obviously didn't like the idea of kidnapping, but he didn't say anything (As per usual), and soon they were all inside. There were only three bedrooms and Nack told Bean he should sleep on the couch.

"Just until this is all over," He hissed, when Bean showed indignation. Rose was put in the smallest bedroom while Nack took the largest, leaving Bark to a fairly good-sized room, though the bed was much too small for him. After that was sorted out, Rose declared that David was hungry, and he needed a cookie before he starved. Preferably two.

"Bean, go to the store and get some cookies," Nack hissed.

"If I do, can I have some?"

"I don't care as long as the kid gets cookies," Nack snapped. He had heard stories as to what happened if a child wasn't given food when they wanted it, they didn't have a cage, and he didn't trust any of the room's locks. As Bean left, Nack turned back to Rose only to discover that she had vanished. Upon a frantic search he discovered that she had gone to Bark's room and was giggling as he gave her a piggy-back ride, her short brown hair flying about. After about a minute of watching, Nack turned, feeling a little sick to his stomach. Cuteness never sat well with him. He slumped into a seat at the table, slightly worried. He had forgotten about Bark's weakness for children. He just hoped it didn't get in the way of his plan.

Vector was having a horrible day. He had left Rose alone for five minutes to grab a newspaper and when he came back, she was gone and there was a note from Nack the Weasel. It read,

_To: The Chaotix_

_We've taken your kid. If you want to see her again _

_bring 50 Mobium to the old willow tree in Blazing Woods. _

_From: Nack the Weasel_

As if that wasn't bad enough, he then spent hours searching for Espio and Charmy. They had gone to take a case downtown, Vector stayed behind to watch Rose. He had wandered around for ages before finally finding the address for the case, only to be told by an angry elderly woman that she had not called any detectives, and his teammates had already left. He finally found them looking for him and Rose and showed them the note. He had never seen Espio so mad, and Charmy immediately burst into tears. None of them knew where Blazing Woods was, and no one in the town seemed to know either. It didn't help that Espio was the only one still thinking somewhat clearly. He was more trained to handle these situations than the other two. They finally found an elderly woman, who told them that Blazing Woods was a subsection of Ghostly Forest, which was just outside the city. As they prepared to head off, they only had one thought,

_We're coming Rose. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Three Hooligans and a Girl**

**Part two**

_I'm gonna kill that weasel._ Vector fumed as he and Espio attempted to navigate the forest floor. They had been searching for hours and he was exhausted as well as worried. Rose was probably terrified and here they were wandering around like complete idiots! Oh, why had he let Rose stay out in the front yard by herself? He should have had her come in with him and then-

"Stop it," A soft voice cut into Vector's thoughts. Looking over he saw Espio watching him, expression calm.

"Stop," The ninja repeated, "Blaming yourself won't help anyone. Especially Rose."

Vector scowled. Espio was right, of course, and Vector knew it. But it was hard knowing she'd been taken and if he had just-

"You're doing it again," Espio said, and Vector's scowl deepened.

"Well, if I had-"

"No," Espio said firmly, "You are not going down that path. Not right now. We need to find Rose, and-"

"Do you even care at all!?" Vector hissed. He immediately regretted his words as Espio stiffened but before the chameleon could say anything Vector held up a hand.

"No, I'm sorry. I know you care, I just- I'm stressed and- No, I'm sorry."

Espio sighed.

"It's fine. I understand of course. Just… don't blame yourself. We've left her in the front yard plenty of times before, and she's been fine. You couldn't have known."

Vector nodded quietly. Espio turned and began picking his way through the underbrush once again. Vector stared hard at him for a moment before following. He knew Espio was right and that it wasn't really his fault, (though that didn't stop him from feeling guilty), and he also knew that what he said wasn't fine. They would have to discuss it later, though. For now, they had to focus on finding Rose.

…

_How did I get roped into this?_ Nack stiffened as the half-rotten ladder wobbled threateningly under him. Bark was holding onto the bottom, but the ladder still shook with every step Nack took. It had been a good three hours since they first arrived at the house and both Bean and Rose had been bored. _Why on Mobius did I suggest hide-and-seek?_ Of course, he hadn't thought Bean would be so stupid as to take the five-year-old onto the roof, but still… He froze as he heard a loud crack. The left side rail had cracks running up and down it, like spider webs. Everything was silent and then Nack gave a cry as the ladder fell apart and he began to plummet. He felt a sudden yank on his arm and the next thing he knew he was sitting on the roof with a small green duck staring at him with wide eyes.

"Wow! That was a close one!" Bean exclaimed. Now that the immediate danger was passed Nack could feel the anger bubbling up inside.

"I could 'ave been killed!" He screeched, "What were you thinkin', comin' up here!?"

"It wasn't against the rules," Bean pointed out, "You said we-"

"I didn't think you would be this stupid!" Nack shrieked, "You're lucky the roof didn't cave in!"

Rose, who was sitting behind Bean, burst into tears, and Nack turned on her, ready with a reprimand. He knew she probably wasn't to blame for this, but right now he didn't care. However, she was already moving towards him, still crying, and before he could say anything, she threw herself at him and gripped him in a fierce hug.

"I'm sorry!" She wailed, her face buried in his shoulder the cross-shaped items on her headband digging into his neck, "We didn't mean to! We just thought it would be fun, and- and- I'm really, really sorry!"

Nack was spluttering and trying to tug the girl off him but she wasn't having it. Bean was cocking his head grinning at the scene and Nack's face turned pink with embarrassment. He roughly shoved Rose off and quickly made his way to the edge of the roof. He saw Bark pacing on the ground worry etched on his face. He seemed relived when Nack called down to him and wasted no time in positioning himself so that they could jump into his arms. Rose, who had finally calmed down a bit though she was still sniffling, went first and she leapt off the roof without any help. Though he hated to admit it, Nack was impressed. He didn't know much about children, but he was pretty sure a normal little girl wouldn't be able to leap with so little trouble. He saw his own shock reflected in Bark's face, but Bean didn't seem shocked at all. Once they the two mercenaries had jumped as well and they were all safe inside, he turned to Rose. He knew he couldn't punish Bean; the duck wouldn't listen to anything he said, but Nack desperately needed to punish _someone_, and Rose was the easiest target. Not to mention Bean liked her immensely and it was probably the only way Nack had of getting back at him.

"Hand over your doll," He snapped. Rose's eyes widened and she clutched David in fear.

"B-But," She stammered.

"No buts," Nack said firmly, "Hand it over."

"Er… Bossy-Boss Pants? I don't think-"

"Shut up Bean."

Rose was shaking now, and Nack, becoming impatient, stepped up and plucked David from her hands. Rose let out a cry and tried to grab the doll. Nack rolled his eyes and held it out of her reach. He turned and saw Bark frowning in disapproval and Bean looking… worried. That didn't bode well. But before he could question the duck, David _moved_. Looking down in alarm he saw that the doll was blinking up at him with large brown eyes. Whirling around he saw that Rose's headband had begun to glow. Or rather the strange cross-shaped items on top of her headband glowed. As Nack watched a small wood chair began scuttling across the floor, toward him. He yelped and tossed David, who had been struggling to get away. Rose caught him and as soon as he was in her arms, the doll went limp again, the chair came to a stop, and Rose's headband stopped glowing.

"Thank you," She chirped before her eyebrows furrowed, "Who moved the chair?"

"It was Bark," Bean said, and Nack's head whipped around to stare at him. The duck was grinning but Nack saw an almost devious look in his eyes. It was unsettling. Which is why as Bark took Rose to his room, Nack turned to confront Bean.

"You knew she could do that, didn't you?"

"Yup," Bean said, "She told me earlier."

"She knows?"

"Uh-huh. Sometimes she remembers what happens and sometimes she doesn't," Bean shrugged, still grinning, "And no one can get the headband away from her. It always reappears on her head. No one even knows where she got it."

"Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I tried," Bean snickered, "You just wouldn't listen."

With that he skipped off. Rose crept into the living room not long after. She seemed unsure whether to talk to Nack or run to her room. Nack sighed in annoyance. He really didn't want to apologize, but it _would_ make things simpler if he did.

"I-I'm sorry," He muttered, face aflame, and Rose smiled.

"It's alright," She said cheerfully, "Pinkie promise you won't do it again?"

_You've got to be kidding me_, Nack thought in irritation. But he linked pinkies with the girl and she beamed.

"I knew you were nice!" She exclaimed, "Bean said you weren't, but I knew you were!"

_Bean is absolutely right_, Nack thought trying to force a smile. Rose grinned and sat down at the table.

"Can we have cookies?" She asked sweetly. Glad for any kind of distraction he hurried to get some of the treats. Thankfully, he had managed to save some before Bean ate them all. Placing a napkin in front of the girl, he wasn't sure it was safe to eat off any of the plates, he put the cookies down in a bowl.

"Take as many as you want," He muttered, and Rose's eyes became huge.

"Don't you want any?"

Nack was about to say no and head to his room, before remembering that the girl had magic powers. With a small groan he sat down opposite her and grabbed a cookie. They sat in silence for a time before Nack decided to see what she knew about her magic.

"So," He said casually, "Where'd you get that headband?"

"Dunno," Rose replied, shrugging, "I've always had it."

"Do the Chaotix have any idea where it came from?"

"No."

"Does anyone know?" He pressed, and Rose deflated a little.

"Mommy and Daddy did," She admitted quietly, "They don't anymore though."

"Why not?"

"They're dead."

Nack winced. He really should've seen that one coming. _She's being raised by the Chaotix, idiot__. Of course__, her parents are dead_.

"Erm, you got any other relatives?" he asked, already knowing the answer, and kicking himself for asking.

"I had a brother," Rose said, voice shaking, "He's dead too. His name was David."

Oh. _Oh_. Suddenly the attachment to the doll made so much more sense. Nack rubbed a hand across his face. He didn't feel bad for her. He _didn't_. She wasn't the first to lose family members and at least she had been adopted. But he still wished he hadn't asked. And she was so little and bra- Nope, not going down that road. Sighing he let his hand fall to his lap. Rose was fiddling with David, her half-eaten cookies forgotten. They sat quietly for a time… So even if, when Bark and Bean came out, Nack was proudly telling Rose a story of his adventures while she clung to David, it was no one's business but their own.

…

"We've been searching for hours! We have to find our way back!"

"We can't go back now! We're close, I can feel it!"

Vector glared at Espio from across the clearing. Why couldn't the ninja see that they couldn't stop now? Rose could be hurt! Or worse! They had to find her.

"Vector," Espio said, through clenched teeth, "We told Charmy we'd be back before five. It's currently eight. He'll be worried sick and angry. Not to mention we're both exhausted and lost. It will take a miracle if we were to find our way out tonight."

"Someone ask for a miracle?"

Vector jumped and turned toward the trees where a girl stood leaning against the tree. He didn't think he'd seen so much yellow before in his life. From her bowler hat with its orange ribbon around it and dark sunglasses perched atop, along with her blazer and dress pants, to her high-top sneakers, everything was dark yellow. It hurt his eyes. Her fire-red hair and clever blue eyes were two of the few things that weren't yellow.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Setley's the name, helping you is my game," She winked, "I heard what's going on and I think I know where they're keeping your kid."

"Really?" Vector asked, warily. He was desperate to find Rose, but he wasn't stupid.

"Yeah," Setley grinned, "There's a shack in Blazing Woods. I heard a lot of noise coming from it today."

Vector exchanged a glance with Espio. As a general rule, they didn't trust oddly dressed girls who just happened to be wandering around in the woods at eight o'clock at night, but they needed help. And they could take her if it came to that.

"Alright," Vector said, "Lead the way."

…

"I could probably get you in through the back…" Setley remarked looking thoughtful.

"You sure?" Vector asked. They had arrived at the shack in almost no time and, however much he wanted to knock some heads, it would be better if they could grab Rose, get away quietly, and contact the police. They moved around back quickly to find a door locked tight. Setley moved forward and fiddled with the lock. Though Vector couldn't see what she was doing, in no time the door swung open with a creak.

"That was some fast lock-pickin'," Vector said, impressed, but for some reason Setley didn't respond. They found their way to the bedrooms with no trouble but when the came around the corner they were met by Bark. For a moment no one moved, and then the brawler stepped aside and pointed toward a door to his right. Vector blinked in confusion but Setley darted forward and peeked into the room.

"Here's your kid," She whispered, and Vector hurried over. He nearly collapsed in relief when he saw Rose and scooped her up. She jolted awake looking shocked but broke into a grin when she saw who had woken her. After a quick embrace, during which Vector may or may not have shed more than a few tears, they snuck out and Setley showed them the way home. Bark didn't try to stop them or alert any one to their presence, he simply went back to bed after Rose gave a sad goodbye. While Espio comforted an angry Charmy, before going to the police station, (The phone was broken), Vector put Rose to bed.

"Vector?" Rose asked sleepily.

"Yeah, Rose?"

"Can I have those babysitters again, sometime? They were nice."

Vector stared at her. Then he shook his head. Of course, she believed they had been babysitting her.

"Well, I don't know if they'll babysit you," He finally answered, "But you definitely haven't seen the last of the Hooligans."

She smiled as he flipped off the light and left her to her dreams.

…

Nack frowned at the lock on the back door. It was obvious some one had gotten in through the door and it was also obvious they hadn't used a regular pick. The lock had become a mangled blob of melted metal, and since the Chaotix didn't have any means he knew of to do this that meant-

"How do you like my handy work?"

Nack turned to see a girl, dressed to look like the sun, walking toward him, short red hair ruffled by the wind.

"I had everything under control," He snapped, "You didn't need to do anything."

"Really?" Setley snorted, "I know you were planning to ambush them. They would have crushed you guys, and you know it. I did you a favor," Her expression darkened, "And kidnapping kids isn't part of our agreement Sniper."

"You don't get to decide how I get the money, Sunner. I-"

"This had nothing to do with the money and you know it," Setley hissed, "This was revenge. Don't give me that look Sniper, I know you."

"Alright, fine," Nack threw his hands in the air, "But what do you want me to do about it?"

"I know where to find a stash of Mobium but it's pretty far from here. And technically taking it's illegal. We'll go together."

Nack sighed. He didn't want to go anywhere with Setley Sunner, but he was glad that she was sticking to their deal.

"I'll get Bean and Bark," He muttered, turning on his heal and storming inside the house, "Don't go snooping around."

"Oh, don't worry," Setley called, sweetly, a devilish smirk on her face, "I'm not going anywhere."

**The**

**End**


End file.
